HSK 4 ≈ CEFR B2 213 characters 14 sentences

Keeping Up Running (坚持跑步)

Day one lasted eight minutes. Day four hundred was a marathon — and he still doesn't like running.

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坚持跑步

两liǎng年前niánqián,我wǒ决定juédìng开始kāishǐ跑步pǎobù。
Two years ago I decided to start running.
第一dìyī天tiān,我wǒ跑pǎo了le / liǎo / liào八bā分钟fēnzhōng就jiù跑pǎo不动budòng了le / liǎo / liào。
On the first day I lasted eight minutes before I couldn't go on.
我wǒ站zhàn在zài路边lùbiān喘chuǎn气qì,觉得juéde自己zìjǐ特别tèbié可笑kěxiào。
I stood by the road getting my breath back, feeling faintly ridiculous.
那时nàshí候hòu我wǒ一百yībǎi八十bāshí斤jīn,走zǒu两liǎng层céng楼lóu都dōu累lèi / léi / lěi。
At the time I weighed ninety kilos and two flights of stairs tired me out.
朋友péngyou说shuō我wǒ坚持jiānchí不了bùliǎo一个yīgè星期xīngqī。
A friend said I wouldn't keep it up for a week.
说shuō实话shíhuà,我wǒ自己zìjǐ也yě这么zhème想xiǎng。
To be honest, I thought the same.
最zuì难nán的de / dì不是búshì第一dìyī天tiān,而是érshì第十dìshí天tiān。
The hardest day wasn't the first — it was the tenth.
那nà / nèi天下tiānxià着zhāo / zhaó / zhe / zhù / zhuó雨yǔ,我wǒ特别tèbié想xiǎng找zhǎo个gè理由lǐyóu不bù去qù。
It was raining, and I badly wanted an excuse not to go.
我wǒ最后zuìhòu还是háishì出chū门mén了le / liǎo / liào,只zhī跑pǎo了le / liǎo / liào十五shíwǔ分钟fēnzhōng。
In the end I went out anyway, and only ran fifteen minutes.
可是kěshì从cóng那nà / nèi天tiān起qǐ,我wǒ就jiù再zài也yě没有méiyǒu停tíng过guò。
But from that day on I never stopped again.
慢慢mànmàn地dì / de,八bā分钟fēnzhōng变成biànchéng了le / liǎo / liào二十èrshí分钟fēnzhōng,二十èrshí分钟fēnzhōng变成biànchéng了le / liǎo / liào一个yīgè小时xiǎoshí。
Slowly, eight minutes became twenty, and twenty became an hour.
上个月shànggèyuè,我wǒ跑完pǎowán了le / liǎo / liào人生rénshēng第一dìyī个gè马拉松mǎlāsōng。
Last month I finished the first marathon of my life.
我wǒ不敢bùgǎn说shuō自己zìjǐ爱上àishàng了le / liǎo / liào跑步pǎobù——说shuō实话shíhuà,我wǒ到dào现在xiànzài也不yěbù太tài喜欢xǐhuan。
I wouldn't claim to have fallen in love with running — honestly, I still don't much like it.
可是kěshì我wǒ喜欢xǐhuan那个nèigè每天měitiān都dōu能néng说到shuōdào做到zuòdào的de / dì自己zìjǐ。
But I do like the version of me who does what he says he'll do, every day.

Words to notice

Run (jog)
Continue (insist on)
Custom (habit - be use to - usual practice)
Give up (renounce - abandon)
Goal (target - objective)
Drill this level's full word list on the HSK 4 vocabulary page or with HSK 4 flashcards.

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